Where Do I Come From Anyway?

Ever since I first heard about DNA testing, I’ve wanted to give it a whirl. How cool would it be to learn if you really are a combination of all the places recorded in your baby book, or if there’s more to your life’s story than you know.

When DNA testing was first made available, I waited for two reasons: 1. The cost and 2. Reliability. It used to be very pricey and I was a bit suspicious of the accuracy since it was kind of a new thing. Well, the genetic/DNA testing kits have been out a while now so I’m feeling better about the reliability end of things, and the cost has come way down. So, I decided to go for it.

There are a number of companies you can use for your test. The most popular ones seem to be AncestryDNA, Family Tree DNA and 23and Me DNA. I’ve read several articles comparing the three and most of the articles suggest starting with AncestryDNA since it’s the most well known, has had the most folks test with them and has the biggest database for comparison.

AncestryDNA

If you’re really curious and want to delve even deeper, I’ve read you can have your results transferred over to Family Tree DNA for around $39 and learn even more. Apparently, the various testing companies provide different types of information. I really haven’t gotten that deep into all the differences, but just learned enough to know that I wanted to go with AncestryDNA for my first test.

I purchased my kit on Amazon because they offer free 1 day shipping to their prime members. The cost for the kit and testing was $99 and you’ll find it available here: AncestryDNA Test Kit. I bought the kit on Saturday and on Sunday a box was waiting for me on my front porch. This is what I found inside.

Ancestry DNA Kit

 

This is how AncestryDNA describes this process on Amazon:

AncestryDNA is a new DNA testing service that utilizes some of the latest autosomal testing technology to revolutionize the way you discover your family history. This service combines advanced DNA science with the world’s largest online family history resource to predict your genetic ethnicity and help you find new family connections. It maps ethnicity going back multiple generations and provides insight into such possibilities as: what region of Europe are my ancestors from, or am I likely to have East Asian heritage? AncestryDNA can also help identify relationships with unknown relatives through a dynamic list of possible DNA member matches.

I opened the box and the first thing I found was a small booklet with easy-to-follow instructions inside.

How Does Ancestry DNA Work_wm

 

Under the booklet I found three things: 1. The kit (on the left) 2. A collection bag (top) and 3. A little box for mailing everything back.

How to Use a Ancestry DNA Kit

 

Contents of the kit:

Using an Ancestry DNA Test

 

The directions were very straightforward and easy to follow. To start with, you go to the dna.ancestry dot com website and activate your kit. It’s easy to activate because there’s a large “ACTIVATE A TEST” button you can’t miss in the top right corner of the website. You click on that button, type in the registration number that’s on your kit and you’re done.

Directions to use an Ancestry DNA Test Kit

 

The next part is just as easy. You remove the little tube thing you see below on the bottom, spit in a few times until your saliva is up to the black squiggly line, remove the little funnel thing on the top of the tube and screw on the lid. The lid is the little thing with the blue liquid inside.

When the lid is screwed on, it allows the blue liquid to mix with your saliva. The blue liquid is some type of “stabilizing fluid” that helps preserve your DNA until it can be tested. You give the tube a few shakes to mix it all together and that’s it.

The one thing to remember is that you shouldn’t eat, drink, smoke or chew gum for at least 30 minutes before doing the test.

Ancestry DNA Kit Test

 

The only thing left to do after that is stick the vial into the plastic bag you see below on the right, tuck it into the little white box and drop it off at the nearest post office. I mailed mine last night so I should be hearing something in about 6-8 weeks.

Someone (my Mom?) wrote in my old baby book that I’m English, Irish, Scottish and Dutch. It will be interesting to see what the test shows. Since my Mom was sick all my life and my Dad never, ever discussed family or the past, I know absolutely nothing about my heritage. For all I know, my ancestors may hail from the planet, Jupiter. That would explain a lot! 😉

Using an Ancestry DNA Test

 

Have you ever done this–mailed off a bit of your DNA to learn about your ancestry? I’m pretty excited to see what it shows! I have a feeling it will probably confirm the info I found in my baby book, but who knows! If you would like to find out about your ancestry, you’ll find the AncestryDNA kit available here: Ancestry DNA Test Kit

How Does Ancestry DNA Work_wm

 

If you’ve done this, I would love to know what you thought. Were there any surprises? Did you learn anything new or did it confirm what you mostly already knew? Can’t wait to hear your experiences! Please share!

*If a post is sponsored or a product was provided at no charge, it will be stated in post. Some links may be affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases. *



 Never miss a Between Naps on the Porch post! 

*Subscribe to have updates delivered to your Inbox. 



Comments

  1. Cynthia Lambert says

    My late father did it a few years before he passed away. We were lucky and found someone who had already done some research on our family. We learned that our ancestor left England on the ship Amitie in 1635 and came to Virginia, where he got a land grant of 1000 acres. He made at least 2 more trips back and forth to England, bringing more than 50 people back with him to settle the colonies. There is a mountain in Virginia named for one of my forbears, and Kentucky bluegrass used to be called Goff grass because our family “discovered” it. Pretty heady stuff. All that from a cheek swab.

  2. Yes. Did AncestryDNA. Primarily English, wirh 19% Irish. Some French and German. Most surprising was a tiny, less than 1% trace from Senagal. Had my brother tested using 23andme, which doesn’t give percentages, but shows his male line and other men who might be related. Trying to trace our fathers linage. All very interesting. Although I personally believe we are all related if you go back far enough, since only 8 people got off that ark so very long ago:)

  3. Thanks so much for posting this. I am a member of Ancestry and have done extensive work on my tree, but I’ve never taken the plunge with the DNA. You may have just pushed me a little. Can’t wait to hear what you find out.

  4. Dan and I were talking about doing this. We have some knowledge of what our ancestry is but I think it would be nice to be sure. There will be a strong presence of Swedish and German in my DNA and Russian and Polish in Dan’s. I know there is more than that so I would like to know what exactly. I’m glad you explained how it works. I’m probably from Jupiter too!

  5. Lauren Butler says

    8-10 years ago I participated in the National Geographic Genome Study. The DNA test kit was $99.00. It is good for the females of the family to do the DNA as we carry both all sides of the DNA markers. Not only has NATGEO carried some interesting stories on the massive data from the results, 60 Minutes did and interesting story on the results as well. The humans that are living today came out of Africa, however, pretty conclusively, we hail from one Adam, but we are linked by multiple “Eve’s” from central Africa. What is individually interesting is how from central Africa our diaspora DNA migrated. My lineage, originating in central Africa, came through European countries, especially lines through England and Ireland and eventually to the US. How,when, I ended up with auburn, wavy hair, green eyes, translucent white skin with freckles, is another story to be sure! I believe you will enjoy your results and feel your $99.00 was a good investment. Aren’t you glad you took a trip to Africa last year!

    • Hey Lauren I would think that with auburn hair green eyes and pale skin, it is definitely from your Irish roots how interesting is all this Ancestry stuff ? Best wishes Maureen

  6. GOOD NITE…ARE WE RELATED?? I’ve wanted to DO THIS like…forever!! Can’t wait to hear the results of you should share!! franki

  7. Susan,
    Please share your results with us, I have been wanting to do this forever so I am anxious to see what you discover about your family history. I don’t even have a baby book, only old family bibles and they do not go back as far as I would like.

    Mary L

  8. This is very interesting since Carol (above) said 23andme traced the male line. This may answer some of my questions since my niece said we are from the Balkans, when I know that is not true. When she said this we thought this was all a hoax or a fraud, but her father’s lineage is from that area so maybe this is our explanation.

    Another question I have is what else are they doing with the huge database that is being created. I think my health plan knows more than I know. When I was at my doctor yearly checkup and I mentioned something, she said oh no, you will not be having that issue. When I questioned her more she said we just know.

  9. Have been tracing my roots back some time now and have found many interesting things. Have not yet tried the DNA testing.

  10. My husbands family goes back as far as Charlemane and my side on my grandmother’s side did an ancestry search and put it all in a book and had it published. They also put all the history in the library in their home town. On my grandfather’s side we have some information and again all of it is in the hometown library.

    Are adult children interested in their heritage?

    • Carol,

      Interesting that your lineage goes as far back as Charlemagne. I’d like to say yes, adult children are interested in their heritage. I’m 29 and have been researching since my dad passed away 3 years ago. My husband and I have mostly researched back to the 1700’s, but to the 1300’s on one of his lines. I found out my ancestors went to church where the rector Francis Burley preached. He was one of the translators of the King James Bible. So many more fascinating links and stories.

      ~Kiki~

  11. I want to do this too… I’ve done a little research on my family on my father’s side which wasn’t too hard as we have an unusual last name. My kids are a total mix of what we believe to be Italian, German, Chinese and Spanish. I may spring for this very soon. Can’t wait to hear your results!

  12. Brenda Lawrence says

    I know nothing about my family history either. Everyone tells me my father was part American Indian, that my grandmother was a squall. But I don’t know for sure. My mother and her brother are redheads and fair skin, so thinking there could be some Irish there. I’m dark hair and olive complextion, I tan very nicely. So I would love to do this! Even my kids were telling me to do it. My youngest is a redhead and fair skin too. So just may have to send for a test…can’t wait to see what your says! Hugs, Brenda

  13. Oh Susan!!! Thru Ancestery DNA I found the answer to a 92 year old mystery for my mom and a lifetime mystery for me and my siblings. When my mom was 6 and her brother was 4, my grandmother left them. Just disappeared. Their dad and his mom and her aunts raised her and my uncle. She said there were rumors that “Alice “, her mom ran off with a man. A few years ago I started working on the family tree and got my DNA tested. Within a few months I got a message from a lady in Ga. and we were a match for 1st or 2nd cousins. The named that linked us was my grandmother’s name except for a different last name. But she had used the name O’dell which was her grandmothers maiden name. All that tree tracing paid off. I recognized the names of family members she had used. Anyway, she did run off to Tn. from NC with another man. She had 3 more children. My new cousin sent us lots of pictures of grandma and my aunts and uncle. So less than a year before mama died (2015) I was able to give her the answers to her life long question an show her pictures. I asked her if she recognized her mama and she did not, but noted mannerisms in how she sat, held her hands, etc, but most of all how much she and I favored her mom. When she asked if they were alive I had to say no. She said all were dead but her and that the good Lord must have wanted her to have the answer before she died too. That little bit a spit answered so many questions for our family. And by the way, family history about who we were and where we came from was wrong. Always thought I was English and Irish. But 79% Western European, 8% Irish, 7% English and trace for the rest. Have fun and good luck.

    • Lora, I am so glad you found the answers you were looking for before your sweet mom passed. When they say your origins are 79% Western European, do they mean French/Belgian/Swiss/whatever? Can you please explain? Thanks for sharing your experience.

      • All if the countries you mentioned and Germany. In narrowing it down appears to be mostly French and German. Ancestery will give you maps covering the territory. Yes, I was thrilled to give my mom that gift before she died.

    • Great story ,

  14. Renee Cook says

    Oooh, I’m so excited that you’re doing this! I love doing genealogy research, although I have hit a wall with it for now. I hadn’t considered pursuing research through this method!

  15. My mother did it last year and I forget what all she said we were, but it was interesting! It also helps connect you to others who share your DNA and are doing genealogy research (who have also done the test). People are using it to trace down their birth parents nowadays!

  16. Diane Garman says

    RE: ancestry test…no real surprises. Found other relative connections…(I have done a LOT of genealogy research). It should be fun for you….

  17. Linda Page says

    This is fascinating and so many of you have done this. I think this is great. Please share your results, Susan.

  18. This is something I am very interested in, Susan! I thought for sure it would be complicated and you would have to go to a clinic for blood drawn for results. It’s nice to hear that they can give results from saliva. There have been rumors of Asian blood in the family on one side and my father never heard much from his father about lineage.

  19. I have been working on Ancestry.com and finding all kinds of information. On my grandfathers draft card someone wrote “he has blue eyes” at the bottom of the card Something I would have never known. Another Great +grandfather fought in the Revolutionary War – not yet sure what side he was on.

    • I think one of my favorite finds on Ancestry are WWI and WWII Draft Registration cards! I have no pictures of my father’s father, and beyond, and only a couple low quality ones of my mom’s. It was really neat to find the Draft Registration cards to see how tall my ancestors were as well as their build, eye and hair color and even if they had any physical issues. My husband family all have brown eyes. Myself and sister as well as our parents have brown eyes. One of our four children has blue eyes and I didn’t have a clue as to where that came from. I found that my maternal grandfather had blue eyes based on his Draft Registration cards, so that is a good indication where it may have came from! I have found six Revolutionary War patriots. You may be able to find the documentation to apply to DAR if your ancestor was an American Patriot!

  20. I want both my parents to do this. My mom is 100% polish and I want to see if way back someone came from some place other than Poland. My dad’s family is supposed to be French, Irish, German and English. My grandmother had no idea of her ancestors, other than those she knew. Both grandparents didn’t really care about the past. I’m very inquisitive so I have always wondered if there was some big “secret” way back. Lol

  21. So timely is your post. I just mailed mine off several days ago after ordering the test a year before.Now I am anxiously awaiting the results as you are.

  22. Hi Susan! Oh, this would be fun. I’ve thought about doing this too. I do know I’m English and Irish and maybe a little Norwegian. I’ll bit the bullet one day and to it too! Hope you’re doing well, my friend.
    be a sweetie,
    shelia 😉

  23. I did ancestry.com and 23 and me. Ancestry did not show that I had any western European, when I know I have French and German. 23 and me was more accurate.

    It also turns out that ancestry only matches you with others in the USA. Hopefully that will change. I found this out from a match. She said her husband’s family was here before the Revolutionary war and he had lots of matches. Her family came later and she had many fewer matches.

  24. I have been a genealogy junkie for about 40 years. Ancestry makes it a lot easier. We did our DNA last year and happy we did. Still working on a big mystery but hoping one of these matches turns in the answers we are looking for. Send me a message if you some some tips when it comes back for you. Will be happy to help. We both are so happy to confirm we are part Irish! Let the party begin! HA

  25. Hi Susan,
    Genealogy is my passion, and yes I have done the test. I was looking for native America ancestry which did not show up, But I have 44% Irish ancestors. I loved it and want to retest. Once I begin searching I am consumed, so I have to let it sit for a while. It is easy to spend 3 hours at the computer.
    Good luck with your hunt.

  26. Hey!
    My girlfriends and I are doing this! We plan to have a Reveal Party when we get our DNA results back…including costumes and a ethnic dish to share at dinner!! I sent mine in the middle of February and haven’t heard anything back yet…I’m getting a little worried…I hope I didn’t accidently delete it!! How long did it actually take to receive results, those of you that did Ancestry DNA?
    Mary Lou

  27. I did Ancestry DNA last year. I have always been interested in Genealogy and have traced my family and my husband’s family but I found out a few years ago that I was adopted. My birth mom (B mom) sent me her family genealogy which was interesting. But I don’t know anything about my B dad or his family. So, I decided to do Ancestry DNA to see what I could find out. It was interesting and came back with a possible 1st cousin match that doesn’t belong to my B mom. Weird thing is that, although my B mom’s ancestors come from England, England was not even listed for me.

    I would love to do the 23 and me test. I think it’s interesting for all the different aspects it gives you and would love to see my results.

  28. Marlene Stephenson says

    Sometime soon I want to do this. I know some about my mother but hardly anything about my father. Thanks for all this information, I truly appreciate it.

  29. Hi Susan,
    We gave it to my Father in Law as a gift. He is 93. I am waiting on the results which should come back in about another 3-6 weeks. It takes longer than I thought it would. Meanwhile, I have filled in the family tree. I will let you know what happens.

    I plan to do mine as well as I am adopted.

  30. Ooh, Susan, this is exactly what I have been considering doing for the past year or so. Is it true that a female can only get the DNA of her mother and a male has to be tested to get the father’s? If so, I will pay for my brother to do it, if necessary. Like you, I have been told that my mother’s people are from the UK and Holland. I do know many Dutch people have Germanic roots, so I wouldn’t be surprised to find that out. You have given me the push to go ahead and do this. Thanks! You blog never ceases to give me something to think about!

  31. I got a DNA test for Christmas about 5 years ago, but it was out of Canada.
    I only had to do a mouth swab and I sent it away. Took about 6 weeks and I can’t believe all the people I am related to. We are Egyptian. But, my mothers people are German and English and my father’s are all English. Most are fair with freckles and red hair. A few of my mothers siblings had dark hair and olive complexion.

    We did trace our German family back to Germany until the 1600’s. Very interesting and there is a book published on the Thrashers from VA. I love doing the research.

    Would love to hear how yours turned out.

  32. Oh, yes–I took the test. I am on a local history board, and my Dad was president of the history group when I was 16 or so. I typed all his notes and was SO bored by all these dead relatives he kept searching for. BUT–when I retired the bug hit me and I desperately wanted to know just who I was. My test reveals I am mostly British Isles (England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales)–59%, but I was surprised to find I had Scandinavian heritage–11% and Western European–Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, etc. That 11%?–I was told that is my VIKING blood–yep, from all those Norse men plundering and later turning to marrying into the British Isles. It has been fascinating, and now there is a new show out other than “Who Do You Think You Are?” and “Finding Your Roots”–it’s Long Lost Family–thru research and DNA parents who had to adopt children out and those children are being reunited–but watch with tissues! AND, if one is on Ancestry, you can refer a friend. They will get a discount on their test and you will get a $10 Amazon gift card–it’s fairly new, just scroll to the bottom of your DNA page for “Refer a Friend.” The friend does not have to have a subscription to get results, not even a trial one, just sign on with name and e-mail. However, joining up gives one the whole picture. So sorry for a long post, obviously I am PASSIONATE about all this.

  33. Hi Susan! I did the test last year and got some really surprising results. My paternal great grandfather was a full blooded Cherokee Indian, but my results came back 0% Native American. Instead, I’m Irish and Scandinavian! Not sure what to think about that. ☺

    • Kim, I just got an email yesterday from Ancestry that they have started processing my DNA test. I was googling and came across a really helpful video that may explain why the Native American didn’t show up for you. Check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geE7zsehccY

      • That was really interesting, Susan! Thank you! I was beginning to think I’m adopted, since we do have documentation for my great grandfather 🙂 My dad passed away suddenly last year, but I hope my brother and sister will be tested.

  34. Fun post! I am really into working on my ancestry, too, and did the DNA test along with my husband. I found out I was not nearly as Scandinavian as I thought…only 15% (it’s my Viking line). But, I’m 56% British…with Irish, W. Europe, Finnish/Russian, Italian and Iberian Peninsula…even a little Caucuses, and Native American, which I had been told, but couldn’t find in my ancestry. And my husband found out he is 87% Scandinavian…more than most native Scandinavians…
    One thing that is fun with the DNA…is seeing the connections you can make on Ancestry.com, if you want. I’ve messaged with a couple of nice ladies who are cousins I didn’t know about.

  35. I did this through 23&me. Results were 99.9% Western European and less than 1% Yakut. YAKUT??!! That’s in Siberia!!! So interesting!

  36. Phyllis Trexler says

    Our children gifted my husband and I with DNA tests from Ancestry.com. It was very easy to do and the results came rather quickly. I was not surprised to learn that I had a high percentage of Scotch, Irish and a little German. My husband on the other hand was surprised at his percentage of Irish (he thought he would have a high percentage with Morans and Mulligans in his heritage) but had a high percentage of German. It was a lot of fun, a unique gift, and with the results we are pursuing our family lines farther. Good luck. Phyllis

  37. My son did this two years ago and having already done family research for 30 years was impressed on the findings. On my side is showed a large percentage of Slovack that my son thought should be German – until I explained we were really Prussian and the area now covers Poland and Russia. Also interesting is my husband and his family always said they were “black Irish” with their jet black, very curly hair – well he indeed show a significant amount of Mediterranean decent (those Roman soldiers leaving behind their “Mark” in Brittania

  38. HI Susan,

    I have been researching my family tree for 15 years. About 5 years ago, I found member submitted tree, with lots of sound documentation, similar to mine. Although I haven’t contacted a lot of trees because they have not been well documented, I was impressed with this one and decided to give it a go.
    The owner of the tree was very excited to hear from me. He had spent a lot of time researching his grandfather, Elliott Barnes, son of William and Etta Jane Barnes, who had “disappeared” in the 1940s. As he looked my tree over, he noticed we had lots of similar ancestors and that my great uncle, Elliott Barron, son of William and Etta Jane Barron, had disappeared in the 1930s. The owner of the tree asked me if I would take a DNA test to see if we were a match. We did! We discovered that Elliott had abandoned four families. My family thought he had been murdered back in the 30s, so this was quite a surprise. Last year, the tree owner and about 10 of us cousins all got together for a weekend reunion. We keep in touch during the year. It has been so nice to find such a wonderful group of cousins.

  39. Cyndi Raines says

    Hi Susan! Happy for you that you’ll get your results soon. My maternal German grandmother told me of our ancestors when I was a little girl. When she was 11, her family came to America from Russia. This confused me because she was German but said they came from Russia. She explained that in the 1700’s Catherine the Great, was a German princess who married Peter (a Russian). Catherine brought hundred of Germans to Russian to teach better farming methods. They were allowed to keep their own language, customs and Lutheran faith. My ancestors came from small towns on the Volga river. All this was documented in family Bibles. My grandpa came from a village nearby. My dad’s family all came from Germany. So all this to say we were a little surprised when my sister did a DNA testing, to find out that we also have Jewish blood . On a lighter note, we did a DNA testing for our doggie who had been left on our street as a drop off. Everywhere we went people would ask us what type of a dog he was and we had no idea. We did a mouth swab and got the results in about 6 weeks. We found out he is 50% Cocker Spaniel, 25 % Black Lab and traces of Golden Retriever. Isn’t science wonderful! Can’t wait to hear your results!

  40. Wow, I had no idea you could get so much info from ancestry.com, and they could connect you to relatives and discover your true heritage. Amazing! So glad you shared this. I will be anxiously awaiting your results.

  41. Totally interesting Susan and to think its a journey that one doesn’t even have to pack for or follow an itinerary … ☺. That said; I am definitely going to try this as am curious where it will lead and am going to run the idea by my Brother so we can compare results. Thank you so much for sharing it. -Brenda-
    P.S.: I know for certain that my heritage (on both sides of the family) leads back to Northern Europe but am more curious as to the percentages that will be revealed.

  42. What a coincidence seeing your blog! I have been awaiting my DNA test results for a couple of weeks. My sister had her test about a year ago, and we were a bit shocked at the results. We were expecting her results to be primarily German. Her DNA is spread pretty even, but the majority of her DNA is of Irish origin! I have been dabbling in my family tree for a few years and have traced back past the 1400’s and I have not found one Irish ancestor as yet! I am still new to Ancestry and DNA testing, but a couple of things I would recommend. Download your Raw data from Ancestry and upload it to GEDmatch (gedmatch.com). GEDmatch is free and is a repository of other DNA results of users of FamilyTree and 23andme. You can possibly expand your relative matches and the site has a number of utilities to further research your results. The site is not as “polished” as Ancestry, but we were able to further refine my sister’s Ancestry results and even found that family folklore American Indian ancestry that AncestryDNA didn’t report. After uploading your AncestryDNA raw data, it takes about a couple of days before you can see matches. Another suggestion that a new-found cousin recommended was to watch the Ancestry videos on their youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsc0AQkAh_2cQmxqwD6VWRw). They have an wonderful genealogist (Crista Cowen) that provides videos on just about any topic including tips, DNA results, researching, etc. She’s called the “barefoot genealogist” and I believe she has a live video every Tuesday. Her way of teaching makes all of this soooo easy to understand!

  43. bobbi duncan says

    My cousin and I have been working on our family tree. As far as I know, I am mostly German, 25% Italian, and 25% Irish, but it would be interesting to find out more. Some people my cousin and I know said they got inaccurate results from the DNA tests so I haven’t gone forward with that as yet. Hope it works out for you as it’s so interesting to see where we’re from and to whom we are connected.

  44. Gloriaglofay says

    Susan, this is crazy: I just sent my DNA box off today so I will hear about the same time you do. I did not choose to put it online for all to see because I was afraid I might be part alien just like you. or part monkey !! I need to see it FIRST and then I’ll decide if I want to share. Can’t wait to find out if I’m part French, Irish, etc. My sister and I have been working on ours for about 10 years now so the dna testing is the only thing left for us to do. It has been so-o-o much fun. I know you will get addicted to it just like we did.

    • lol I know, I think I chose to hide mine too, at least for now. I’d like to see what it is before the world does. 🙂 It should be really interesting. I got an email from Ancestry today saying they had received it, so at least I know it got there and has been logged in. This is fun and exciting, isn’t it? 🙂

  45. I have had a subscription to Ancestry.com for many years and have built my family tree to over 10,000 people! My DNA test showed I am 100% European (mainly British and Irish) which wasn’t much of a surprise. Ancestry.com shows who your DNA matches up with. When I first saw the top three DNA matches for me were my first cousin’s daughter (who I know) and two 2nd cousins I know of but haven’t met I knew the testing was definitely legit!

  46. I was adopted and I have often wondered where I came from and what my heritage may be! Although I have amazing parents and have been very blessed! I sure would love to know what nationality I am! I think I am going to give this a whirl! Thanks so much!!

  47. I did the dna testing a few years ago. While the percentages are fascinating, I’ve gotten the most value from the other family trees that I am linked to. Who knows, you may be cousins with some of your followers. Start putting together your tree and your dna matches will make more sense. With all the existing trees out there you will be totally surprised how far back you can go.

  48. I am so glad I found you have done the testing and shared how to do it. I am getting mine done this Spring/Summer. There is just one thing I see on T.V. It says 28% other. Other, I want the full monte. Is there a sight that tells every bit of ones ancestry. Like you, I also read Ancestry DNA is the best place to start. But the 28% other just makes me want to wait till I can find a sight that tells all.

  49. Believe it or not, my mom found her siblings via AncestryDNA! She was adopted as a newborn in 1951. Long story short, her bio-mom was a teenager. My mom found her original birth certificate amongst her adopted parents’ stuff, with her bio-mom’s name on it, but dad was listed as “college student”. Bio-mom’s family was horrible when we found them about 20 years ago, so she stopped pursuing that. Bio-mom passed away in 1970. My husband and I gave my mom a DNA kit for Christmas last December because she was always curious where her father hailed from. Results came back and she had a 1st cousin or closer match. Contacted them and turns out it was her half-brother! Her father passed away a while back, but she and her brother talk and email a few times a month now. This DNA stuff is awesome!!!

    • What an amazing story, Jennie! So happy that your Mom was reunited with her brother. Thanks so much for sharing that…just love it!

I'd love to hear from you! Please leave a comment!

*